Imágenes de página
PDF
ePub
[merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small][merged small]

To take our wey, ther as I yow devyse.

And of his port as meke as is a mayde.
He never yet no vileinye ne sayde
In al his lyf, un-to no maner wight. 16

70

space,

But natheles, whyl I have tyme and He was a verray parfit gentil knight.

1 wood. * hearts. distant. 4 shrines. known. chance. ' fallen. 8 "entertained in the best manner." " agreement.

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

I

[blocks in formation]

A lovyere, and a lusty bacheler,

80

Hir gretteste ooth was but by sëynt Loy,

With lokkes crulle, as they were leyd in And she was cleped2" madame Eglentyne.

[blocks in formation]

10

9

And he had been somtyme in chivachye,
In Flaundres, in Artoys, and Picardye, 86
And born him wel, as of so litel space,
In hope to stonden in his ladyll grace.
Embrouded 12 was he, as it were a mede13
Al ful of fresshe floures, whyte and rede. 90
Singinge he was, or floytinge, 14 al the day;
He was as fresh as is the month of May.
Short was his goune, with sleves longe and
wyde.

Wel coude he sitte on hors, and faire ryde.
He coude songes make and wel endyte, 95
Iuste15 and eek daunce, and wel purtreye 16

[blocks in formation]

Ful wel she song the service divyne,
Entuned in hir nose ful semely;
And Frensh she spak ful faire and fetisly, 28
After the scole of Stratford atte Bowe, 125
For Frensh of Paris was to hir unknowe.
At mete wel y-taught was she with-alle;
She leet no morsel from hir lippes falle,
Ne wette hir fingres in hir sauce depe.
Wel coude she carie a morsel, and wel

[blocks in formation]

1 horses (plural).

4 coat of mail.

1 ordinary height.

10" considering the short

11 lady's. 12 adorned.

15 joust. 16 draw.

19 it pleased him.

21 cropped head.

* doublet.

5 voyage.

8 active.

#spotted.

6 curly.

military expedition.

time he had served."

13 meadow. 14 fluting.

17 hotly. 18 in the night-time.

20 take care of his weapons.
22 guard.

23 equipped.

24 "figure of St. Christopher used as a brooch."
25 belt.

26 forester. 27 named.

29 pleasure. 30 reached. 31 truly.

33 behavior.

36 dignified.

39 fine bread.

34 tried hard.

37 worthy.

40 pleated.

28 elegantly.

32 fond of pleasure.

35 deportment.

38 tenderness of heart.

41 well proportioned.

[blocks in formation]

180

Ne that a monk, whan he is cloisterlees,
Is lykned til a fish that is waterlees;
This is to seyn, a monk out of his cloistre.
But thilke text held he nat worth an oistre.
And I seyde, his opinioun was good.

What sholde he studie, and make himselven wood,

Upon a book in cloistre alwey to poure, 185 Or swinken10 with his handes, and laboure, As Austin bit? How shal the world be served?

Lat Austin have his swink to him reserved. Therfore he was a pricasour11 aright; Grehoundes he hadde, as swifte as fowel in flight;

190

Of priking12 and of hunting for the hare Was al his lust, for no cost wolde he spare. I seigh his sleves purfiled13 at the hond With grys, 14 and that the fyneste of a lond;

And, for to festne his hood under his chin,

[blocks in formation]

And eek his face, as he had been anoint.
He was a lord ful fat and in good point;15
His eyen stepe, 16 and rollinge in his heed,
That stemed1 as a forneys of a leed;18
His botes souple, his hors in greet estat.
Now certeinly he was a fair prelat;
He was nat pale as a for-pyned19 goost. 205
A fat swan loved he best of any roost.
His palfrey was as broun as is a berye.

A FRERE there was, a wantown and a

[blocks in formation]

220

For he had power of confessioun,
As seyde him-self, more than a curat,
For of his ordre he was licentiat.24
Ful swetely herde he confessioun,
And plesaunt was his absolucioun;
He was an esy man to yeve25 penaunce
Ther-as he wiste to han a good pitaunce;
For unto a povre order for to yive
Is signe that a man is wel y-shrive.
For if he yaf, he dorste make avaunt, 26
He wiste that a man was repentaunt.
For many a man so hard is of his herte,
He may nat wepe al-thogh him sore

smerte.

225

230

235

Therfore, in stede of weping and preyeres,
Men moot yeve silver to the povre freres.
His tipet was ay farsed2" full of knyves
And pinnes, for to yeven faire wyves.
And certeinly he hadde a mery note;
Wel coude he synge and pleyen on a rote. 28
Of yeddinges 29 he bar utterly the prys.
His nekke whyt was as the flour-de-lys;
Ther-to he strong was as a champioun.
He knew the tavernes well in every
toun,

240

1 handsome.

* hunting.

cared.

12 riding.

2 string.

a superior sort of fellow.

5 somewhat strict.

" mad. 10 work.

13 trimmed.

6 same.

11 hard rider.

14 gray fur.

1 go.

15 in good condition.

18 fire under a cauldron.

20 licensed beggar.

23 country gentlemen.

25 give.

28 a sort of fiddle.

16 glittering.

17 glowed.

21 important.

19 wasted away.

22 knows.

24 licensed to hear confessions.

26 boast.

27 stuffed.

29 songs.

[blocks in formation]

For sothe he was a worthy man with-alle, But sooth to seyn, I noot 18 how men him

calle.

A CLERK ther was of Oxenford also, 285 That un-to logik hadde longe y-go. As lene was his hors as is a rake, And he nas nat right fat, I undertake; But loked holwe, and ther-to soberly. Ful thredbar was his overest courtepy; 19290 For he had geten him yet no benefyce, Ne was so worldly for to have offyce. For him was lever have at his beddes heed Twenty bokes, clad in blak or reed, Of Aristotle and his philosophye, Than robes riche, or fithele, 20 or gay sautrye. 21

295

And rage he coude as it were right a whelpe.

But al be that he was a philosophre,
Yet hadde he but litel gold in cofre;
But al that he mighte of his freendes

In love-dayes ther coude he mochel helpe.
For ther he was nat lyk a cloisterer,
With a thredbar cope, as is a povre scoler,
But he was lyk a maister or a pope.
Of double worsted was his semi-cope,
That rounded as a belle out of the presse.
Somwhat he lipsed, for his wantownesse,
To make his English swete up-on his
tonge;

hente, 22

261

On bokes and on lerninge he it spente, 300
And bisily gan for the soules preye
Of hem that yaf him wher-with to scoleye.
Of studie took he most cure and most

hede.

265

And in his harping, whan that he had

[blocks in formation]
[blocks in formation]

And short and quik, and ful of hy sentence.24

Souninge25 in moral vertu was his speche, And gladly wolde he lerne, and gladly teche.

A SERGEANT OF THE LAWE, war 26 and wys, That often hadde been at the parvys,27 310 Ther was also, ful riche of excellence.

In mottelee, and hye on horse he sat,
Up-on his heed a Flaundrish bever hat; Discreet he was, and of greet reverence:

His botes clasped faire and fetisly.

His resons he spak ful solempnely, Souninge12 alway thencrees of his winning. He wolde the see were kept 13 for any

thing

276

Bitwixe Middlelburgh and Orewelle.
Wel coude he in eschaunge sheeldes 14 selle.
This worthy man ful wel his wit bisette; 15
Ther wiste no wight that he was in dette,
So estatly was he of his governaunce, 16 281
With his bargaynes, and with his chev-
isaunce.17

He semed swich, his wordes weren so wyse.
Iustyce he was ful often in assyse,
By patente, and by pleyn commissioun;315
For 28 his science, and for his heigh renoun,
Of fees and robes hadde he many oon.
So greet a purchasour29 was nowher noon.
Al was fee simple to him in effect,

His purchasing mighte nat been infect. 320
Nowher so bisy a man as he ther nas,
And yet he semed bisier than he was.
In termes hadde he caas30 and domes31 alle,
That from the tyme of king William were
falle.

1 barmaid.

8 was not.

* better. 3 leper.

considering his ability. ⚫ profit.

4 beggar woman.

7 poor people.

the beginning of the Latin Gospel of St. John.

10 proceeds of his begging.

12 tending towards.

14 shields, French coins.

16 management.

18 know not.

19 outer coat.

20 fiddle.

21 psaltery.

11 regular income.

22 get.

13 guarded.

15 employed.

17 dealings.

24 meaning.

23 "with propriety and modesty."
25 conducing to.

27 church-porch. 28 because of.
30 cases.

28 cautious.

conveyancer.

al judgments.

« AnteriorContinuar »